


The Avatar Bride

by tomthefanboy



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: M/M, MY CABBAGES, Multi, My First Fanfic, Wedding Fluff, dragon dance, dumb acronymns, fire nation tradition, minor katara hate, somebody else can write the sex scene, turtleduck transmutation, wedding vows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 14:22:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10515525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomthefanboy/pseuds/tomthefanboy
Summary: The marriage of Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, written in the voice of an unrepentant and unforgiving zaang shipper that hasn't seen the series finale (or perhaps refuses to).





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a response to a "Dream Zaang Wedding" prompt from The Avatar State podcast and somewhat rushed in an attempt to be finished before the next episode. The dedication and preface make this clear.

**The Avatar Bride**

A fan fiction of Avatar: The Last Airbender

By Tom “the Fanboy” Munkres

 

**_Dedicated to The Avatar State Podcast, Jonathan “Nerf” Baker,_ **

**_and everyone who has ever gone down with their ship rather than put their hands up and surrender._ **

 

**Preface** :

I understand that at the time of this publication, there are only a few episodes left to avoid spoiling for the podcast’s first time viewers, but since this story takes place after the series finale there are LOTS of totally real and not at all made up spoilers. I have endeavored to make The Avatar Bride the most canonically compatible Zaang marriage fiction possible. Enjoy.

  
  


**Prologue** :

Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, Air Temple, the citizens of the world had spent little over a year in peace since the return of Sozen’s Comet. But everything changed when the Fire Lord got engaged. The Save-the-Date shocked the Fire Nation most of all. Sure, the whole world was surprised that Prince Zuko was getting married to none other than Avatar Aang himself. The satraps and courtiers and administrators of the Fire Nation were more shocked because he was abdicating the throne to do so! At Aang's suggestion, Zuko named Uncle Iroh the Fire Lord Adjutant Magister of Executive Operations until such time that the world was in balance or they finished their honeymoon. Whichever came first.

 

**The Setting** : 

Air Nomads had no traditional marriage ceremony per se, other than a simple prayer they would say before whatever local customs dictated was appropriate. The Fire Nation on the other hand had MANY marriage traditions. ROYAL weddings having several dozen more on top of that. Zuko and Aang gave in to political pressure to participate in nearly all of the usual festivities. They opted to cancel the ceremonial battles between servants and the renewals of fealty oaths from conquered satrapies. The burning of effigies resembling the enemies of the bride's father, which in this case would technically have been the groom's great grandfather, was deemed too awkward. So was the traditional burning of offerings to their ancestors, which Aang technically was since Zuko’s other great grandfather was Avatar roku. They settled for a pyre dedicated to the spirits in general on either side of the entrance, so that the guests would not be completely without a chance to burn things.

The main ceremony would take place in the courtyard in front of the Royal Palace, with the parade grounds outside the wall transformed into a massive festival ground. Celebrants began gathering as early as a week before the wedding. Three sectors of the parade grounds were set aside for the foreigners visiting for the event. The Air acolytes brought sky bison to give rides. The Northern water tribe created an ice palace full of slides that made for incredible snowball fights. Not to be outdone, the earthbenders of Omashu create a 300 foot long recreation of their mail delivery system (but only because Zuko refused to allow King Bumi to create a full size recreation).

  
  


**The Ceremony** :

When the day arrived, drummers announced the opening of the palace gate. Dozens of guests of honor were escorted to rows of obsidian bench seats earthbent from the palace’s own lava rock. Traditionally the bride and groom’s family’s would be separated, but due to the limited number of blood relatives all the guests of honor were mixed evenly. From the dais, the guests looked like a splattered painter’s cloth split down the middle by an ebony brush. Wafting over them in the warm breeze, the crimson red of the royal house was contrasted by the gentle saffron orange of the Air Nomads.

Once the seating was complete, the ushers (all members of the royal firebender guard) donned their helmets and took up their posts for the entrance of Lord Iroh. The drums quickened and trumpets rang with the Fire Nation anthem as he entered, presented himself to the audience for a beat and moved to the side. The horns and drums softened, then were joined by strings as Zuko’s mother Ursa entered. She was totally alive and healthy after a year of recuperation, much to the joy of the court. In her arms she carried a wild-eyed turtle duck with an icy blue beak. It was none other than Princess Azula trapped in her turtleduck form after Aang and Zuko defeated her in the spirit realm. Her cute shape could not fire bend and so was harmless (save for nips from her quick little beak) but the madness still shined as bright as ever in her tiny black eyes.

Cymbals crashed, picking the music back up and heralding the arrival of the groom. Approaching from the palace were two riders. In accordance with tradition the tulākār rode out first, with the groom a short distance behind. The role of the tulākār was to fight on the groom's behalf and to call out his arrival. This tulākār rode a young sabertooth moose lion (scarcely even 16 hands tall) and wore the full regalia and face paint of a water tribe warrior. As they circled the guests, he drew a sword of adamantine and shouted.

"Let he who would stop the groom face my blade! Let he who would stain the groom's robes find his own stained with blood. Let he who would speak ill of the groom lose his tongue! Let he who would bring anything but joy to this gathering face my fury!"

Sokka had changed this last line since it originally ended with the word "fire" and he refused to be mistaken for a firebender. His non-traditional mount, dress, and makeup notwithstanding.

Following behind, Zuko rode a massive black komodo rhinoceros with red stripes on its flanks and gilded horns. He wore a new set of robes, distinguishable from his normal ceremonial garb as Prince by the white belt pieces and golden floral motif replacing the usual golden flames. His hair was pulled back and held with the golden pin marking him as the crown prince. He treated the guests with a confident smile that softened the scarred side of his head as he circled them. Sokka and Zuko dismounted at the dais. Zuko gave a small nod of approval to Sokka as his uncle stepped forward. Once the beasts were led away Fire Lord Iroh spoke.

"We have a groom, brave and strong, ready to take up the bonds of marriage. Hot and bright burns his flame! He must have a bride that is wise and skilled, ready to join him in this task. To shield his flame from the rain and let it shine through the night!" 

Sokka had suggested this change as well. The traditional Fire Nation wife was to "shield his flame from the wind" and since Aang was an Airbender that might not play well. The rain also served as an inside joke about the times his sister threatened/attempted to kill Zuko. Which at least Sokka had learned to laugh about even if nobody else had. Iroh closed with his speech unchanged.

"Who will fight to bring this wedding such a bride?"

"I WILL!" Bellowed the voice of a young teenage girl. Accompanying the pronouncement were creaks from the palace gate as it opened further. This was the entrance of the bride, heralded by his phupokkhong, a ceremonial role similar to that of the tulākār. However, where the tulākār spoke from a place of service, the phupokkhong spoke from a place of authority. It was their job to prevent the bride from being married if the groom was not up to their standards, by force if necessary.

The girl wore an impressive antique suit of earth kingdom heavy armor bearing an exquisite winged boar motif. However, as she was still shorter than most of the guests while they were seated, she seemed hardly a fitting choice for phupokkhong. Those who were not already acquainted with Toph Beifong would find that she was not only a good choice, but brimming with qualification for the part she had been asked to play.

"Let she who thinks herself better than the bride come forth and whither beneath my gaze! Let she who is more graceful than the bride dance so I may see your step waver! Let she who is wiser than the bride speak so I may listen to you grow hoarse. Let any among you who would stand in the way of our joy be ground beneath my heel!"

Unlike Sokka, Toph refused to change a word of her speech. She thought the gazing and seeing references were hilarious. She also enjoyed punctuating each statement with a stomp down the aisle that sent tremors through the courtyard - the final stomp so mighty that the Earth King himself slid off of his seat. With a smile nearly as big a Toph's own, Lord Iroh called out.

"Bring forth the bride so the groom may see heaven!"

At this point, the bride's family would usually lead out the veiled bride on an ostrich horse or komodo chicken, or even the village hippo cow if no other animal was available. However, owing to the bride not having any surviving family the beast of burden was left to bring itself out. Floating down from a cloud came Appa, hair dusted with golden pollen and woven thick with yellow and pink flowers. A thick golden rope draped from each horn back to the wide saddle where an orange veiled figure now sat. Though his face was obscured by silk, the brilliant blue tattoos were visible beneath his sleeveless robes. Each arm a rich stitchwork of henna that complimented the designs of his tattoos while contrasting their bright color.

As Zuko gazed on his One True Partner coming down from the sky, it was like his uncle had just said. He felt as if he truly did see heaven.

The groom’s reverie was short lived as his tulākār shouted,

"I am tulākār of this man, and I shall say who is worthy." Sokka stepped down from the dais and began the ritual dance that he and Toph had spent the last week practicing under Master Piandao. The moves represented the fight to prove the worthiness of both bride and groom and the devotion of their loved ones who were willing to fight for them to be together. 

"I am the phupokkhong of this man and it is I who must be pleased!" Toph shouted back defiantly. The pair stepped boldly forward until they were inches away. Sokka was breathing loud enough that she could approximate eye contact when they spoke in unison.

"I shall see if you speak true!" They bellowed into each other's faces and then jumped backwards.

"Does the bride have a dowry?" Sokka questioned while striking a pose he considered thoughtful.

"Her father's coins make these seem humble." Toph said as she spread a large roll of Earth kingdom coins on the ground before her. Giving Sokka a three count to make a show of bending over to look at them.

"Such riches be worthy of the groom." he replied.

"Do the groom's blows strike swift and true?" Toph offered in a playful tone, her hands out to both sides.

Suddenly Sokka drew his adamantine sword and leaped into the air. His sword swung down right at Toph's head but at the last moment she used metal bending to summon Master Piandao's own blade from where he sat in the crowd and blocked the blow. The clang of the swords echoed  for a few seconds before a murmur of approval rippled out from the crowd. Any doubts that these foreigners could perform as tulākār and phupokkhong were long since gone.

Master Piandao was less impressed however, as he could see the hairline fracture in his blade where the mightier star-metal sword had struck. Only Toph's metalbending held it in place as Sokka remained poised above her. 

"This strike was weak and clumsy compared to the skill of the groom." Sokka said, his voice thick with braggadocio on Zuko's behalf. He stood and resheathed his sword and waited for Toph's response with his nose in the air and eyes shut. The response didn't come, though. Sokka cracked one eyelid open and saw the problem. Master Piandao's sword had a sheathe of bare wood and leather. There was no metal for Toph to bend! Sokka clicked his tongue and Toph remembered her line.

"Such a blow sh-shows strength worthy of the br-bride." Toph stammered a bit, keeping her focus on the two pieces of steel she balanced in front of her. Moving with care, she rotated her sword hand and brought the blade in line with her body, finding that the vertical alignment was easier to hold in mid air. The problem was that the next step of their dance was a kata with circular steps that circled one speaker around the other. Luckily, Sokka was able to improvise quickly.

"Can the bride mend..." Sokka asked slowly, bending over a guest to gingerly remove Master Piandao's scabbard without making eye contact. He sheathed the blade just far enough to cover the fracture before finishing "...A husband's cloak?"

Toph smiled at his change of the word 'sew' to 'mend', signalling to her that he had noticed the fracture. The change of choreography helped her cover the damaged blade and relax her metal bending and continue the ceremony in its new direction.

"Yes!" she replied defiantly, sliding the sword the rest of the way into the scabbard. "Can the groom turn a husband's tears to laughter?"

"Yes!" Barked Sokka as he grabbed the scabbard with his other hand. Returning to the rhythm of the ceremony despite the change in movement he asked, "Can the bride guide the groom through smoke and haze?"

"Yes!" Toph grabbed the scabbard just above Sokka's hand. "Can the groom carry him when his burden grows to heavy?"

"YES!"

Traditionally there was another set of questions regarding fatherhood and childbirth, but even with the witchcraft of bloodbending and the magic of spirit shaping there were limits to even the Avatar's power. The two now began circling each other, slowly turning the sheathed blade one way and then the other as they spoke in a synchronized chant. The crowd joining each time they spoke 'yes'.

"Will they walk hand in hand?

"Yes. Will they share both feast and famine?

"Yes. Will they keep warm the coals of their covenant?

"YES. Will none but death keep them apart?"

"YES!"  

Here they froze. After two breaths passed Toph released the sword and took three steps back. Sokka handed the sword back to an impressed Piandao and backed up to his place at the foot of the dais.

"Tulākār, will your groom face the hurricane's winds and the earthquake's thunder for this husband? If it be so I deem him worthy."

"Phupokkhong, will your bride weather the volcano's vent and the blizzards chill for his husband? If it be so I shall step aside."

They answered each other with deep bows as they spoke their last lines in the ceremony.

"All you say and more."

"All you say and more."

The crowd applauded politely as Toph and Sokka stepped back to subservient positions beside Aang and Zuko at their respective ends of the aisle. Once again, Iroh stepped up to the center of the dais.

"If all they say and more be true, then step forth, groom."

Zuko stepped up to stand beside his uncle.

Iroh stretched out a hand towards Aang. "Step forth, bride." 

Aang stood up at long last. With two graceful steps he floated to Appa's head, onto his nose, and then landed on the ground. Above him, Momo jumped high and began gliding down the aisle sprinkling yellow-orange flower petals beneath Aang's feet. Toph took hold of the veil as Aang walked forward. The music, which had fallen silent in the tension of the dance between Sokka and Toph, now struck up a traditional airbender love melody on strings and karimba.

Slowly the orange silk slid upwards, revealing a hint of his glistening pecs between the folds of the loose fitted robe. Suddenly Zuko could see the face of his love at long last. Aang had allowed Zuko’s mother to apply just a bit a makeup after they had shared the air nomad prayers that morning. It was far too subtle and artful to have been done by the palace courtiers. The extra tint to Aang's naturally pink lips, the slight dust of rouge on his round cheeks, the smallest wing of eyeliner around his twinkling eyes. It transformed the love of his life from humbly cute boy to a stunningly handsome man.

Zuko hoped Aang could bend air into a passed out man's lungs, because he'd just had his breath taken away.

Aang couldn't help but giggle at the slack jawed look on Zuko's face and flared his nostrils wide to snap him out of it. It worked, and both of them turned to face Iroh at the top of the dais. The music fell silent again as Iroh began the penultimate portion of the ceremony. Azula let out a small hiss from her beak but she was reprimanded with a tap on the shell from Ursa, who was busily dabbing at the tears that threatened to ruin her own makeup.

“The sliver of flint within the stone.” Iroh held up his index finger before Aang. “The ingot of steel discarded by the smith.” He held up the finger of his other hand in front of Zuko. “Neither is of any use on their own, but together…” Iroh snapped both his fingers and small flames sprang up from his fingertips. “Together they make the spark. Together…” He stretched both hands out between them and folded the flames below so the heat between his hands wavered “...They make the heat of the forge. Together they bring warmth of the hearth.” He steepled his fingers and the flames rolled upon each other between his palms. “Together they can spark an inferno as hot as the sun!” Iroh raised his hands dramatically as the fireball over his palms swelled into a massive sphere nearly as wide as the dais. The wave of hot air only just had time to wash over the audience before the flames were dissipated back into nothing. 

“A heart can be brittle, like a sliver of flint. A heart can be hardened, like steel. But when two hearts strike upon each other just right, they can spark a love that can light up the whole world!” Iroh gestured to the guests seated before the dais. “Look at these people who have come today to celebrate your love! Before you met, how many of them were enemies? How many were YOUR enemies?” A small laugh came from the guests. Aang glanced at Zuko and tried not to smile at how embarrassed the Prince looked.

“Avatar Aang.” Iroh said, startling Aang slightly and snapping his attention away from his future husband. “Your heart has been carved and chipped by tragedies that none of us can imagine. You returned to see your whole world gone. You saw the bones of your closest friends turned to dust…”

“I’m not dead yet.” Bumi croaked, causing a few chuckles. Iroh shot him a glance and a smirk, then continued.  

“Your heart has been chiseled away by the hardships of loss and battle. Let the love you feel for Prince Zuko keep it whole. May his love remain an earthly tether as you travel among the spirits.” As he finished speaking, Iroh placed the end of a sanctified white thread in Aang’s right hand and strung a sai monkhon on the airbender’s head. 

“Prince Zuko,” Iroh looked at him with a glimmer in his eyes that was on the verge of tears. “My nephew. You have grown into such a great young man. So much wiser than that young warrior that accompanied me to the South pole those years ago. You are the pride of your nation. You are the pride of your mother. You have tempered the steel of your heart with humility. Listen to your heart and it will make Aang the pride of your life. May his love guide your hand when you return to your throne.” Iroh finished coiling the cord of the sai monkhon around Zuko’s head and placed the end in his left hand. Iroh turned the couple to face each other and then spoke to the guests beyond them.

“The sai monkhon is an ancient tradition that some say predates fire bending itself! It represents that though a marriage binds these two lovers together,” He gestured to the cord stretching between them and then to the loops that crowned them. “They each remain individuals in themselves. While in some lands the happy couple keeps it on their heads all day as a sign of devotion, we in the Fire Nation are not so patient.” Iroh grinned broadly, waggling his eyebrows at the young couple before him.  “It is our way to firebend the cord of the sai monkhon so that it may sanctify the couple’s spirits. The purity of the blaze blessing their union.” 

The subtext that Iroh didn’t lay out clearly for their foreign guests, is that an impure burning or smudge of ashy remains from the specially treated cord was an ill omen. The common method to prevent this was treating the thread alchemically so that it burned in a flash. The flame jumping from one to the other in less than a second. If neither bride nor groom could firebend themselves, the elder officiating would light the groom’s cord for him. Before they met Aang, Iroh sometimes wondered if the trauma of Zuko’s first Agni Kai would prevent him from going through with a marriage since it meant flames on his head once again, however briefly. It was clear now he had nothing to worry about.

Zuko and Aang locked eyes and gave each other a determined grin. Suddenly the loops of thread on their heads burst into flame simultaneously! The flash of fire jumped to their hands and between them and was gone. Not a flake of ash remained and not a hair on Zuko’s head was out of place.

“The hearts of these two have been joined and their souls blessed. Bring forth the rings so they may serve as a sign to all that this marriage is complete.”

Iroh turned and held out his hand to Toph. She smiled, reached into her belt and then stepped forward to drop two precious stones into Iroh’s hand. Iroh blinked at the stones and then stammered for a moment. He held each stone between his fingers and squinted at them. They were the right size and shape for rings but still just stones.

“Do they grow?” He asked, confused.

“Just hold those up while I get the rings ready.” Toph smiled as she stepped closer to Zuko and Aang. With her metalbending, she lifted the golden flame pin right out of Zuko’s hair. The metal made a small squeaking sound as she tore the pin in half. As she rolled the halves into two rings, the stones Iroh was holding floated out and were grasped by their fittings. Zuko's bore a diamond as clear as the sky to represent how Aang was the wind beneath his wings. Aang's ring with a brilliant red ruby to represent his burning love for Zuko. They held their fingers up, allowed the rings to float down onto them, then intertwined them. Both their rings and their hands were a perfect fit.

“And so,” Iroh concluded ”By my power as the Fire Lord Adjutant Magister of Executive Operations, I now pronounce you hotman and hotman!” Applause broke out as Zuko stepped forward and took Aang’s head in his hands. He hesitated for a moment, smiling into his love’s eyes, before they finally kissed. 

Zuko kissed Aang with such heated passion that there was literally smoke coming out of both their nostrils when they pulled apart. Aang looked up at his love in wonder for a beat, and suddenly there was a blast of wind as his eye glowed bright white and he entered the Avatar State! A small panic erupted among those present who had seen the Avatar State in battle. Did the previous incarnations object? Would the power that cast down Ozai at the pinnacle of his might now destroy his son?

Far from it!

The Avatar leaped at Zuko, embracing the startled prince in a wild kiss and flying away with him into the clouds. Aang’s love was so great that it reached back through the ages and filled the hearts of his previous incarnations. Suddenly Zuko was being kissed with the skill, the ferocity, the tenderness, and the strength of every Avatar there had ever been!

 

**The Reception:**

From below there was stunned silence as thunder echoed and scintillating auroras filled the sky above the palace. It is not until Sokka pumped a fist in the air and whooped for his buddies that the crowd erupted in cheers. Tears streamed down Uncle Iroh’s face as he shot out a bolt of lightning from BOTH HANDS to light the fireworks on opposite parapets. The sky was filled with orange, yellow, and red sparks when Aang and Zuko returned to the ground. They composed themselves best they could and took their seats at the dais to receive gifts as the cooks began preparing the feast.

In keeping with Fire Nation tradition, the procession of gifts began with the most esteemed guests and worked it’s way down to the most humble. This meant that the rich and powerful were not kept standing around as long and were also served first when the feast was presented. The presentation of the food could interrupt the gift procession for as long as twenty minutes at a royal wedding. A long time to be standing around if you’re wealthy enough to not work for a living.

First, King Kuei Hou-Ting (voiced by Phil LaMarr), the 52nd Hou-Ting Dynasty-sovereign of the Earth Kingdom. His gift to the couple was Apco, a hybrid bear/air bison that Bosco gave birth to a few months after Appa was released from Ba sing-Se.

Next was King Bumi of Omashu. He presented Aang with a slim, unmarked ebony box. Inside was a bed of yellow silk holding a set of green jennamite handcuffs. He give Aang a wink and mumbled something about “creeping crystal reacts to the heartbeat” and “happy honeymoon” before hobbling back to his seat. Aang slammed the box shut and pushed it under the table, smiling nervously while Zuko grinned teasingly. “You’re lucky I’m not the one who can earthbend, little monk.”

After this came a number of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom nobility. Each gave fine silks and jewelry befitting royalty. Aang’s favorite were a set of earrings, which surprised Zuko since neither of them had pierced ears. It became clear however when Aang demonstrated that they were the perfect size for his favorite airbending trick. As the miscellaneous nobles moved on, more familiar faces approached to pay their respects. 

Zuko didn’t recognize the final pair of Earth Kingdom aristocrats that bowed before them, but Aang did. The Beifongs greeted Aang and hoped that his new husband would make him as happy as his adventures had made their daughter. Master Pakku and Kanna approached and (after Sokka was done hugging his gran-gran for the first time since her arrival) presented Zuko with a fine whale-bone dagger and Aang with a pair of tiger seal-skin boots. The Mechanist presented the couple with a clockwork dragon that could boil tea (eliciting jealous noises from Uncle Iroh). At this time, the trumpets sounded and all other well wishers were directed to move back for the presentation of the feast!

A lively march played as cooks paraded out of the palace. Earthbenders slid apart the guests’ benches (mostly with the guests still on them) and raised up massive tables on either side of the aisle. The first dish was a massive hippo cow, sliced open to reveal a whole komodo chicken, which in turn was sliced open to reveal roasted gazelle hound. Next was a cauldron so large it took eight porters to hoist it. The chef responsible scooped the contents into turtle duck shells and set them on the table before Aang and Zuko. From her cushion, Azula began quacking angrily at the turtleduck soup. Her antics got a good laugh until Ursa silenced her by stuffing a cherry tomato in her beak.

The next meal was brought up to the dais on a small cart. The couple marveled at a scale model of the fire lord's palace as tall as Aang, built entirely from purple and white cabbage, with a triple ring of cabbage rolls around the outside as the actual dish. Aang grew excited as the chef responsible turned out to be a familiar cabbage vendor he'd run into several times (often literally) in the Earth Kingdom. He introduced himself as Au-Tsin Gan-Lan and refused to accept Aang's apologies, assuring him that were it not for his crossing of the Avatar's path he would not have been able to sell his life story for a small fortune. He could now finally afford to build a restaurant and COOK cabbages instead of having to depend on selling them in obscure, cabbage poor markets.

Though Aang’s vegetarian diet meant he would not be partaking in many of the dishes (he had already slid his soup to Sokka) they were still magnificent to see and smell. Platters of crab lobsters. Flaming kabobs. Different colored melons carved in the likeness of one the last four avatars. Spicy stuffed peppers that sparked when bitten. Flambéed pentapods that danced on their skillet. Fried ice creams kept frozen by waterbending pastry chefs. Vegetable arrangements. Lychee parfaits. Egg custard tarts. Exotic wines. And of course, because Iroh had willed it mandatory at all palace functions, endless tea service at every table. Once the food and drink was all laid out, the seemingly endless line of well wishers was moved to the side and instructed to only move up between the acts, though wine had begun to flow and the protocol became less formal in this regard.

Sokka nearly spit out his wine as a familiar rhythm played on the drums. In a flurry of green fabric the Kyoshi Warriors took to the makeshift stage in front of the dais.

"The Warriors of Kyoshi Island are honored to demonstrate our katas for the newly married couple and their guests." Suki called out, taking a deep bow. They jumped and kicked and demonstrated their skill with their gold plated war fans. When they were finished, Suki joined Sokka at the table on the dais. She waved hello to Aang and Zuko and whispered them a congratulations. She caught herself before waving to Toph. After Master Pian Diao presented the newlyweds with a finely crafted Paisho board, the next performers were ready to begin.

A small, sprightly person in a bald cap painted with airbender arrows sprang out from behind the curtains at the side of the stage and did a series of flips before landing in front of dais. "A Candle In the Wind!" they called out proudly. "A pantomime tribute to the whirlwind romance of the Prince Zuko and the Avatar Aang. Written by famed playwright Pu Wan Tin! Performed by the Ember Island Players, and made possible by a generous grant from our prime investor..." 

Here the actor gestured to the cabbage merchant who began to stand up for a bow, but instead screamed "NOT MY CABBAGE CASTLE!" then ran off to try and keep Appa from taking another bite from his creation's East wing. 

Zuko and Aang did their best to hide their dismay while Toph straightened up and focused her full attention on the performance. Such plays had become unbearably commonplace since the defeat of the Fire Lord Ozai and the end of the Hundred Year War. They were incredibly embellished and usually poorly acted. Toph seemed to be the only one who enjoyed them any more. This performance was no different, save they claimed it was the 'abridged' version. After providing the dais and guests of honor with tickets to the play's full length opening in one week's time, the acting troupe left the stage.

A ragtag group of nomadic minstrels arrived and sang the folk song Oma and Shu, (which was far less jarring and disturbing when they remember all the words). Sokka sang along with the “SECRET TUNNEL” chorus and applauded them loudly when they were through. He proudly exclaimed to Suki and Aang how glad he was that he tracked them down. When Zuko asked Aang to explain, he just says “Oh, it’s an old inside joke, I almost made a really big mistake the first time we heard that song.” 

A team of seven seemingly identical girls in different colored outfits then flipped and cartwheeled onto the stage. Ty Lee greeted the newlyweds and introduced each of her six sisters; Ty Lin, Ty Lat, Ty Lao, Ty Liu, Ty Lum, and Ty Woo. When they asked for a volunteer from the audience to join their dance, a somewhat tipsy Suki pressed Sokka into stepping forward. “I wanna see if you dance as good as you fight.” 

“He did last time!” Ty Lee said with a wink as she pulled Sokka down from the dais. The guests had a great laugh as the girls alternated between using him as a dancing partner, a vaulting horse, and an object to juggle on their seesaws. A bit flustered at first, Sokka begins to enjoy the attention and by the end of the performance he was hamming it up for the crowd like a natural. He took his bows with the girls and returned to his seat only to find Ty Lee sitting with an even drunker Suki.

“I am an honorary Kyoshi Warrior now.” Ty Lee giggled, adjusting the golden Kyoshi leader hat Suki had been wearing earlier. “And Suki says that warrior sisters share everything.” Suki nodded from behind her latest bowl of wine and patted the cushion between them.

Sokka was going to ask questions but then realized that he did always find Ty Lee cute in a dangerously cheerful kind of way, so as long as it was Suki’s idea he wasn’t going to complain about spending the rest of the evening with a girl on each arm. If fate could bring together lovers as star crossed as Aang and Zuko, then why not a trio of non-benders like them as well?

As the feasting continued, Zuko noticed that the shadow of the Palace had grown long enough to cover the whole reception. “It is time for dancing!” he proclaimed, to a cheer from the guests. As he and Aang removed their outer robes, Zuko recited a speech he had been saving for some time.

“In his quest to master firebending, I accompanied Aang to the valley of the Sun Warriors.” A drum beat sounded as he and Aang began to circle each other. “I told him the history of the Fire Nation. How the ancient Sun Warriors were taught firebending from the dragons. Among the ruins we discovered secrets…” Zuko shot Aang a knowing look. “The frescos and the sculptures there taught us the path to enlightenment. That path led us to a platform high in the mountains where our inner eyes were opened as we danced. We both unlocked the secrets of firebending that day. Like Lord Iroh said earlier, the purest flame comes not from rage but from passion. The great lesson of the Sun Warrior Philosophy is that fire is not just the destruction it can wreak, the flame is LIFE ITSELF.” More drums joined in as the tempo increased. Aang and Zuko adopted a martial arts stance and circled each other with arms raised.

“Today, we will share with you the secret dance of the Sun Warriors. The dance that fanned the flames of our infatuation into the inferno of love that brought us all together today. The Dance of Dragons!” Cymbals crashed as the dance began. The drums returned at an even faster tempo, accompanied by a couple resonant stringed instruments. As Aang and Zuko danced the fluid, circular steps, their faces were solemn. They remembered how the dance saved their very lives before the dragons. But as the pace quickened and the trumpets played louder, they began to smile. The enlightenment they unlocked together revealed more than just the secrets of firebending. They revealed that their friendship had grown into something more and that the feelings that had awakened were shining back from their love as bright as the dragon’s flames.

In the final steps of the dance, the cymbals crashed climatically as their fists swung together, but at the last moment they shifted balance. Rather than colliding their fists, they slid them forward along each others arms. Aang’s left arm moved above Zuko’s right as Zuko’s right moved above his left. As the cinched tight against each other in a passionate kiss, their right hands erupted in a shining cyclone of flame. 

The roar of the whirling flames was the only sound. The fire spiralled up from the lovers, growing high enough for the commoners in the parade grounds to see over the walls. It shone a pale yellow that was nearly silver in it’s brightness. Within the spinning fames were tongues of crimson, sparks of emerald, flashes of blue, and gouts of orange. The guests were spellbound by the display. No matter their history or thoughts on the marriage, none could deny the beauty of their love in the face of such coruscating majesty. Even Azula’s wicked black eyes gazed at the wonder and knew peace. The awed silence continued as the newlyweds broke their kiss and quieted their whirlwind of passion.

Aang and Zuko slowly opened their eyes and looked at each other. There was no way for them to tell how long they stood there breathless, lost in each other’s eyes. Their reverie was only broken when the cymbals crashed and the musicians started up with a popular folk song. They realized that the entire reception had been applauding their performance in a standing ovation. For those moments they had been the only two men on earth. 

Lord Iroh stepped onto the stage just as the band reached the song’s chorus. Iroh took Zuko’s arm and sang.

“It’s a long, long way to Ba Sing Se….” He then hopped behind Aang and pinched his nephew-in-law’s cheeks. “But the girls in the city, they look SO PRETTY! And they kiss so sweet-” He pecked Aang on the back of his shaved head before releasing him. “-You’ve really got to meet, EVERYBODY!” Lord Iroh gestured to the rest of the guests.

“THE PRETTY GIRLS FROM BA SING SE!” The crowd sang in raucous harmony and then cheered. From that point forward the reception was in party mode and nearly all formality and protocol went out the window. Sokka alternated between dancing with Ty Lee, dancing with Suki, and watching Ty Lee dance with Suki. King Kuei and Bosco led everyone in a long dance line he claimed to have invented called the Serpent’s Pass Conga.

During one of the slower breaks in the music, Zuko escorted Ursa to the dance floor and

together they danced to a sad song about a family torn apart by a storm. When the musicians shifted into the soulful Leaves From the Vine, they both moved back to the dais to comfort Iroh. He was now quite drunk and the song which would normally cause a stir of emotions was now inciting a geyser. Zuko had the royal guards escort his tired uncle back to his chambers for the night. After another song, he and Aang agreed that the time was right for them to leave as well.

Sokka raised a final toast to the couple when they bid the reception good night. In his rambling but mostly coherent toast, he bade them to enjoy their time and love, asked them to come and visit him soon at Kyoshi Island, promised to sire as many children as they wanted to adopt, said a prayer to the spirits for their health, and then finished by declaring himself “Interim Party Lord” and ordering the guards to take them to their “cell” in the royal penthouse. 

 

**The Bridal Bed:**

The newlyweds dismissed their escort as soon as they entered the palace. Zuko went as far as to order them back to the festivities to make sure the “Interim Party Lord” didn’t overstep his authority. They walked hand in hand through the long halls, laughing at the judgemental faces of Zuko’s ancestors as they scowled down from their tapestries.  They were finally alone again, two husbands with a life of love and adventure stretching out ahead of them. Their dreamy thoughts turned more physical as they drew closer to Zuko’s bedchamber. Hands went from holding each other to being draped over shoulders and around waists. Smiling lips turned to kissing mouths. Shuffling feet were knocked off balance and up against walls.

In the final hall, Aang summoned a gust of wind to blow everything but Zuko’s undergarments right off his body and another gust to slam open the doors. As the flustered Prince stumbled into his chamber he came face to face with a smiling man and woman sitting on the edge of his bed. 

The two looked so old they resembled turtles as much as people. The man bore a bushy brown beard that was undoubtedly fake and the frail woman had an improbable pregnancy bulge in her middle. Zuko stood stunned as they stood up and spoke to him.

“Ah, such a tall man our boy has found!” said the man.

“Yes, and those striking golden eyes! Very regal.” the woman cooed.

“Look at those pecs glisten!” the man said, poking a knobby finger at Zuko’s chest. “Remember when mine glistened like that!”

“Oh hush, they never did any such thing.” the old woman pulled Zuko away.

Aang entered the room backwards, hopping on one foot, and grunting in frustration at a sash that refused to untangle from his leg. He was finally free when he bumped into Zuko and finally noticed the old couple.

“Um….Zuko. Can you see these two?” Aang waved his hand in front of his face. “Am I in the spirit world?” 

“No you’re here, I can see them.” Zuko sighed. “It’s a tradition in some Fire Nation villages to have an old couple visit newlyweds before they can enjoy their bridal bed.”

“That’s right!” Said the woman gleefully as she rubbed her swollen belly. “We are a sign of how long a successful marriage can last!” The old couple linked elbows and held themselves up with pride.

“Who better to demonstrate this than the record holders!” The man said with pride, stroking his fake beard. “One hundred and eleven years!” 

Zuko’s jaw dropped. Aang was confused but curious, asking “Wait, you were alive at the start of the war?”

“What a silly question for you to ask, Kuzon!” Said the woman, sidling up to Aang and wrapping her bony arm around him. “Of course your parents were alive!” The old man approached from the other side and patted him on the back.

“If we weren’t alive at the start of the war, then how could you be alive to freeze yourself in that ice berg.” The man winked at Zuko. “I’m guessing it wasn’t his brains that attracted you to Kuzon, was it.”

“Wait, why do you keep calling him Kuzon?” said Zuko, who was starting to get a little frustrated with the game.

“That’s our son’s name you silly boy.” the old woman chuckled ”You know him as his monk name Aang. But before he went to the air temple, he was our little-”

“Kuzon Fire.” Aang grumbled. It was his turn to sigh in frustration. It had finally clicked into place. “How rude of me to not introduce you.” He added flatly. The old man and woman stepped forward and introduced themselves happily.

“Wang Fire, at your service.” The old man said, giving a surprisingly deep bow while holding his beard in place.

“Saph Fire.” Said the old woman, giving as good a bow as the stuffing beneath her dress would allow.

Zuko nodded to them both and looked to Aang for an explanation. Unable to find any polite way to do so with them in the room Aang instead played along in the hopes that they would be gone faster that way.

“Yes, mother and father, how surprising it is to see you after all this time.” Aang said with a quantum of enthusiasm. “Thank you for coming to visit on this most blessed day.”

“You’re welcome Kuzon! What a blessed day indeed!” Saph Fire squeaked.

“Zuko and Kuzon, we’ll call you Kuko for short! Hee hee!” Wang chuckled as he patted both of them on their arms.

“That sounds… cute?” Zuko said skeptically. He wasn’t sure what he could say to make this conversation end faster.

“Mom, Dad?” Aang said with forced pleasantness. “Do you have any advice before you go down and enjoy the rest of the reception?” He stepped past them and pulled Zuko with him out of their reach. They seemed to get the hint at least because they started backing up towards the door.

“One bed, two wash tubs!” Saph pronounced.

“Don’t let Kuzon eat pastries in bed no matter how hard he begs.” Wang warned.

“Ask him how his day is no matter how tired you are!”

“Always take his side in an argument with a third party.”

“Choose a safe word for the bedroom.”

“Choose a safe word for in public too!”

“But most of all.” They both said as they drew the doors shut “Devote yourselves to the other’s happiness above all else!”

When the doors shut at last Zuko walked over quickly and set the lock. He spun around and flung his arms out to his sides and waited for an explanation. Aang flopped back onto the bed and sighed.

“This is all Sokka’s fault. He must have been making that ridiculous toast so that those two had time to get up here.” Zuko chuckled and joined him on the bed.

“So then who’s Wang Fire, KUZON?” Zuko received a smack for that as Aang rolled onto his side.

“SOKKA is Wang Fire. We had Fire Nation aliases when we were sneaking around before the eclipse. He was Wang Fire, his sister was Saph Fire, and I was Kuzon Fire.”

“Fire? Seriously?”

“We had to think fast! It wasn’t like we were PLANNING on needing aliases. I got mistaken for a student because I accidentally stole a school uniform.” Zuko began laughing as Aang sat up and gestured in the direction of the old couple. “That’s why they had to impersonate my parents to get me out of there.”

“Now THAT sounds more like it. Wang Fire definitely sounds like a Sokka kind of name.”

“Definitely.” Aang said with a laugh. “I bet that guy was even wearing Sokka’s old beard!”

Zuko basked in Aang’s laughter, easily one of his top three most attractive qualities. Though the first most was his dedication to his duty as the Avatar, right now the second held Zuko’s attention. Aang’s pale frame was slight but incredibly tone. Each muscle rippled taught in the candle light. His cheeks still held the cherubic babyface that Zuko first encountered at the South pole, but now his jaw line was become more distinguished and his nose more defined.

Aang saw how Zuko looked at him and stretched out languidly on the dark silks. Aang loved the way that the muscles in Zuko's jaw twitched when he grew agitated. They were twitching now, framing Zuko's strong features against the ebony cascade of his just-past-shoulder-length hair. Aang reached out and stroked a hand along the arm that propped up his lover in the cushions. The thick muscle beneath it flexed once and then Zuko's "agitation" overwhelmed him and he moved, taking up Aang and rolling across the bed with him in a passionate kiss. The candles in the room flared and danced as the avatar of air and the prince of fire consummated their destiny.

As the hours stretched past midnight the lovers broke apart at last, their afterglow complimented by the rising of the crescent moon to the West. 

Yue's smile was the last thing the reveller's saw before finally falling asleep. For Aang, it was a sign that the spirit world blessed his union. For Zuko, a sign of absolution for his nation’s atrocities against the people of the water tribe. For Sokka, it served as a profound moment as he was surrounded by the girls closest to his heart (Ty Lee), and his mind (Suki), and his soul (Yue). For Toph, well it wasn’t much of anything because she was still blind. From her place in the heavens Yue smiled down on all of them, knowing that it was truly the best of all possible outcomes for the Avatar and his friends. The best for everyone.

 

**Epilogue:**

Weeks later, Katara and Mei were shivering in their igloo of denial as usual. While trying to thaw a chunk of tiger seal jerky, Mei sensed something outside and threw a few darts out the window. When she investigated, she found a letter from Sokka and could see Hawky winging away in a panic. He had written his sister a detailed account of the whole celebration (complete with classic Sokka illustrations). Katara speared the letter with a waterbending icicle and flung it into their meager fire. Sadly, neither of them could bring themselves to be happy for their old friends. Their pride and possessiveness blinded them to fate. Both the fate of Zaang and their own grim future of Meitara. But that is a story for another day.


End file.
